Billfold

ABSTRACT

A billfold constructed of a flattened rectangular double-walled member of woven material open at either end and having a central portion and opposite end portions which are folded to overlay a major extent of the central portion to form the main body member of the billfold. The central portion may be reinforced by a flat flexible plastic member positioned at the central portion prior to folding the end portions. The one edge of each folded end portion is secured to the contiguous edge of the central portion to complete the body member of the billfold. An insert is provided having a wider section and a narrower section interconnected by a hinge. The sections are folded over one another at the hinge and the opposite ends of the wider section are inserted into the oppositely facing open ends of the end portions. The narrower section is positioned within the central portion of the body member and the hinge lies between the end portions externally of the body member. The inset cooperates with the body member of the billfold to form two major compartments each of a length equal to the central portion of the body member. The insert, aided by the hinge, is capable of sliding within the end portions to accomodate any expansion of the billfold resulting from the storage of currency, cards and the like material within the billfold. Since the insert is slidable, it is able to move slightly away from the fold line of the billfold, thereby allowing the billfold to be folded into a rather thin wallet having a narrow fold line. Thus, the billfold includes a major compartment on either side of the narrower section of the insert and two minor compartments on either side of the opposite ends of the wider section, that is, a total of four minor compartments. The combination is highly resistant to wear, can be carried in a minimum of pocket width, and provides excellent compartmentation. The double-walled member can be woven in a pattern or printed to impart a design to the billfold. Manufacturing steps are few and uncomplicated so that the billfold is exceptionally inexpensive to produce in quantities to further reduce the overall manufacturing costs of the billfold.

Elnited States Patent 1 Lovendale 1 Jan.23,1973

[ BILLFOLD Mark R. Lovendale, 6431 Monterey Road, Los Angeles, Calif. 90042 [22] Filed: Sept. 22, 1971 [21] Appl. No.: 182,671

[76] Inventor:

UNITED STATES PATENTS 939,673 ll/l909 Cummings ..l50/32 1,267,246 5/1918 MacDonald 150/38 1,661,924 3/1928 Cook ..150/38 Primary Examiner-Donald F. Norton Att0rneyGeorge F. Smith et al.

[ ABSTRACT edge of each folded end portion is secured to the contiguous edge of the central portion to complete the body member of the billfold.

An insert is provided having a wider section and a narrower section interconnected by a hinge. The sections are folded over one another at the hinge and the opposite ends of the wider section are inserted into the oppositely facing open ends of the end portions. The narrower section is positioned within the central portion of the body member and the hinge lies between the end portions externally of the body member. The inset cooperates with the body member of the billfold to form two major compartments each of a length equal to the central portion of the body member.

The insert, aided by the hinge, is capable of sliding within the end portions to accomodate any expansion of the billfold resulting from the storage of currency, cards and the like material within the billfold. Since the insert is slidable, it is able to move slightly away i from the fold line of the billfold, thereby allowing the billfold to be folded into a rather thin wallet having a narrow fold line. Thus, the billfold includes a major compartment on either side of the narrower section of the insert and two minor compartments on either side of the opposite ends of the wider section, that is, a total of four minor compartments. The combination is highly resistant to wear, can be carried in a minimum of pocket width, and provides excellent compartmentation. The double-walled member can be woven in a pattern or printed to impart a design to the billfold. Manufacturing steps are few and uncomplicated so that the billfold is exceptionally inexpensive to produce in quantities to further reduce the overall manufacturing costs of the billfold.

icEIs fii ijrv viiig Ti gures PATENTED JAH 2 3 I975 SHIII 2 [If 2 BILLFOLD BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention This invention relates primarily to billfolds and wallets.

2. Description of the Prior Art Typically billfolds and wallets have been constructed of several pieces of leather or plastic, such as vinyl, cut from sheets. The several pieces have required some complicated stitching or multiple bonding or gluing operations in order to incorporate the several pieces into the finished billfold. In most cases the several pieces have been oddly shaped so that the amount of labor required to cut, fold and stitch or glue the pieces has been considerable. The high labor requirement has resulted in a high cost of manufacture which in turn has made the billfolds relatively expensive on the retail market.

The stitching itself has produced problems in prior billfolds since it has typically been the first part of the billfold to break down under continuous wear or has weakened because of absorption of persperation and body oils. This is in part due to the fact that stitches usually form exterior elements of the jointures and therefore are exposed to much of the wear on the billfold. A broken stitch soon results in a broken seam and the billfold is rendered useless unless it is resewn. Where prior wallets have been formed of multiple pieces of a plastic material such as vinyl, heat bonded to complete the wallet, the jointure affected by the heat has not provided long service jointures and further vinyl has poor wear characteristics.

Attempts have been made to decrease the amount of stitching required in manufacturing the billfolds. Some billfolds have been made of fewer pieces but this has typically required more assembly operations and/or a sacrifice in compartmentation. Other prior workers have attempted to fold the multiple pieces to form folds where stitching would normally be required. But folds in leather and sheet plastic produce lines of wear and have added substantially to the thickness of the billfolds making this an inadequate alternative.

There have been attempts to color and design the leather typically used in the prior art billfolds. However, the designs which have been made on the leather have required the talent of skilled artisans using special tools. This, of course, has substantially increased the cost of manufacturing the billfolds. The coloring of leather goods, typically by dying or hand painting, has also been an expensive process. Furthermore, the coloring has been only superficial and in many cases has quickly deteriorated with minimum wear.

Since leather capable of providing a long service life is relatively thick, the multilayered combinations which are characteristic of the prior art billfolds have resulted in relatively thick billfolds. Thick billfolds, typically coupled with a substantial number of credit cards and currency, have necessarily resulted in unsightly bulging pockets, a source of discomfort for the user.

Leather billfolds in the prior art have also been relatively absorptive of fluids. Perspiration has been a par- .ticular problem since billfolds are usually carried in proximity of the body of a person. When a fluid such as perspiration is absorbed, it can result in staining the leather and the contents of the billfold. Moisture also tends to break down the leather and impairs the stitching when formed of cotton or like threads which, of course, adds to the deterioration of the billfold. Stitching has been formed with nylon thread to form leather billfolds but it was found nylon thread had an abrasive effect and often cut the leather as the segments of the wallet moved in the use of the wallet. In addition, where moisture has contacted the billfold its leather has misshapened and adjacent layers have stuck together.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The billfold of the present invention includes a body member of a rectangular double-walled member having a central portion and two opposite portions or segments. A means for stiffening the billfold is disposed between the walls at the central portion thereof. The tubular member is flattened and the end segments are folded over the center portion to place the edge of each end segment in overlying relationship with contiguous edge of the central portion. Stitching or other securing means can be used to permanently hold the end segments in their folded-over configuration.

A novel insert is provided which has a wider section and a narrower section of substantially equal length. The sections are connected by a hinge which is centrally located along the length of the sections. The insert is folded along the floating hinge so that the wider section is in juxtaposition to the narrower section. The opposite ends of the wider section are inserted into the oppositely facing ends of the folded over end segments and the narrower section is positioned coextensive with the central portion and between the end segments. In a preferred embodiment the hinge is disposed externally of the tubular member. In this configuration, the narrow section forms a divider and the billfold is provided with a major compartment on either side of the narrower section and two minor compartments on either side of the opposite ends of the wider section slidably mounted in the end segments.

The body member can be formed from woven synthetic material such as nylon fabric which is highly resistant to wear and deterioration by moisture. Nylon can be woven from threads of different colors so the billfold can be provided with different colors and designs. In addition, the fabric can be dyed or printed after it is woven. The dye will penetrate the threads of the fabric so that it is not merely superficial and the continual wear on the billfold will not deteriorate the design.

The woven nylon is exceptionally thin and therefore contributes to the relative thinness of the billfold. Folds or creases can be formed in the woven material without adding to the thickness of the billfold, thus eliminating much of the stitching which is characteristic of prior billfolds.

The cost of manufacturing the billfold of the present invention is exceptionally low. The woven nylon fabric forming the body member and the flexible plastics which are preferable for the inserts are readily available and inexpensive. Of particular importance is the fact that a minimum of labor is required to cut out and assemble the parts of the billfold. The only stitching that may be required is a straight seam along the edges of the folded over end regions to secure the end segments to the central portion of the body member which can be made by a straight pass through a sewing machine.

The hinge in the insert also provides a unique feature in the billfold of the present invention. The configuration of the hinge permits the wider and narrower sections of the insert to slide within their respective compartments thus accommodating any expansion which may result from the loading of the billfold.

Further features of the invention will appear from the following description in which the preferred embodiments of the invention have been set forth in detail in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the tubular member partially flattened to form a part of one embodiment of my invention;

FIG. 2a is a top view of a piece of the flat tubular member shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 2b is a top view of the flattened tubular member with its ends turned internally thereof;

FIG. 2c is a top view of a piece of sheet polypropylenewhich can be used to stiffen the central segment of the tubular member;

FIG. 2d is a top view of the flattened tubular member with the sheet of polypropylene inserted into the central segment thereof;

FIG. 2e is a top view of the tubular member with the end segments folded over the central segment;

FIG. 3 is the top view of a second insert having a wider section and a narrower section and an integral hinge disposed therebetween;

FIG. 4 shows a perspective view of the second insert;

FIG. 5 shows the wider section of the second insert being inserted into the open end of one of the folded end segments;

FIG. 6 shows the wider section of the second insert being inserted into the open end of the other folded end segments;

FIG. 7 shows a perspective view of the resulting billfold; and

FIG. 8 is an enlarged sectional view of the billfold, taken along line VIII-VIII of FIG. 6.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS A billfold may be constructed in accordance with the present invention from a body member 10 comprising a flattened tubular member having openings 11 and 12 at either end thereof. The member 10 may be constructed from a seamless tubular member which is pressed flat and cut to a preselected length or may be formed from a single piece of rectangular sheet'stock that is folded along its shorter sides so that its longer sides overlap. The longer sides may be joined by a suitable bonding agent at the region of the overlap to provide the flattened tubular configuration.

If desired, the body member 10 may be formed of a single sheet of the woven material folded with opposed longitudinal edges slightly overlapping and permanently joined by a line of stitching, after which the tubular body member 10 so formed may be turned inside out to place the line of stitching internally of the tubular member.

The opposite ends 13 and 14 of the member 10- preferably are folded internally to prevent fraying of the exposed ends of the member 10 and to reinforce the ends around the openings 11 and 12 respectively. The intumed ends can be secured to the interior regions of the flattened tubular member 10 by sewing, although the inturned ends are preferably bonded in position.

In the illustrated embodiment of the present invention an insert 15 is provided for stiffening the body or tubular member 10. The insert 15 can be formed from any material which is capable of being repeatably bent without cracking but in the preferred practice of the invention sheet polypropylene is used. The insert 15 should be slightly narrower than the flattened tubular member so that it is freely slidable therein so that it will not impede the folding of the billfold by causing the material to bunch up at the fold line. However, it should also be substantially smaller in length to permit the opposite end segments 16 and 17 of the member 10 to be folded over onto the one face of the central segment 18 of the tubular member as best seen in FIG. 2e of the accompanying drawings. The opposite end of the folded over end segments are spaced apart with the one edge of each end segment aligned with the contiguous edge of the central portion 18 of the member 10. Both of the end regions and 17 are folded on lines which are substantially defined by the opposite ends of the insert 15.

Although any means desired can be provided for holding the end segments 16 and 17 in their foldedover configuration, preferably the folded over segments are secured by means of a line or lines of stitching 19 which secures each of the segments 16 and 17 to the underlying edge of the central segment or portion 18. The stitching 19 is positioned slightly below the lower edge of insert 15. This straight line of stitching which can be made with little effort or expense is the only stitching required in the billfold. In this manner stitching, which was a major contributant to the expense of manufacturing prior billfolds, can be restricted to the single straight line illustrated. Preferably the stitching is formed of a nylon thread to increase the strength and durability of the jointure formed. The stitches do not pass through the stiffening insert 15 so that the stitching is not exposed on the side faces of the wallet but rather are disposed inwardly of the faces and are protected against wear.

As shown in FIG. 8, the stitching is so located that the exposed surfaces of the billfold extend outwardly therefrom. As a result, no wear on the stitches can occur since friction contact with them cannot occur.

To complete the billfold of the present invention, a divider member 20 formed of an integral sheet of pliant material is assembled with the body of the billfold just described. The member 20 may be formed of a sheet of a suitable plastic having a pair of slots extending inwardly from each of its opposite edges. The slots divide the sheet into two sections 21 and 22 preferably of unequal width joined by an integral strip 23 forming a hinge. The section 21 has a width substantially equal to the width of the oppositely facing openings 11 and 12 of the end segments 16 and 18 while the narrower section 22 has a length substantially equal to the length of the body member of the billfold.

The billfold is completed by assembling the thusslotted plastic sheet 20 with the body member in the manner as shown in FIGS. 6-8. After the narrow section 22 of the sheet 20 is folded about the hinge 23 and onto one face of the wider section 21, the opposite end of the wider section is slipped into the open ends of the end segments, and with the hinge 23 adjacent the stitching 19. This assembly operation positions the narrow section 22 between the end segments 16 and 17 and the inner face of the central portion 18 of the body member to form a divider extending the length of the billfold.

The result of the above described assembly operations provides for a major compartment on either side of the narrower section 22 of the member 20. One such major compartment is compartment 24 which lies between the central segment 18 and the narrower section 22 of the divider member 20. A second major compartment 25 lies between the narrower section 20 and an interior plane formed by the end region 16, the wider section 21 and the end region 17.

A plurality of minor compartments is also formed by the wider section 21 of the divider member 20 as compartments are formed on each side of the opposite ends of the wider section 21 mounted within each of the end segments 16 and 17. Each of the minor compartments can be used to hold or store cards of various types or items shorter in length than the compartments 24 and 25.

It should be understood that the divider member 20 can consist of a single sheet of flexible material the opposite ends of which can be disposed within the end segments 16 and 17 as was the section 21. With the divider member thus constructed, there will be four minor compartments but only a single major compartment.

It can be seen from the foregoing description of the preferred embodiment that this invention provides a unique and novel billfold or wallet. It can be constructed from only three pieces of material, the flattened tubular member 10, the stiffening sheet and the divider member 20. Even though relatively few pieces are used in constructing the billfold, there are still an ample number of compartments provided by the construction. The line of stitching 19 is the only stitching that is required and that seam is straight and along an exposed edge. Thus the single seam 19 provides a speedy and inexpensive method of forming the body member of the billfold.

The nylon material used for the tubular member 10 and the synthetic plastics which can be used for the insert 15 and the divider member can be exceptionally thin. These elements in combination consequently provide for an exceptionally thin billfold. in its unloaded state this thickness may be on the order of one-eighth inch. This is of particular advantage for those persons who object to the unsightly appearance and the discomfort associated with a thick billfold.

The floating hinge 23 which connects the sections 21 and 22 of the divider member 20 permits the latter to shift and to expand to accommodate varying thicknesses of sheet material which may be stored in the compartments of the billfold. The flexibility associated with the floating hinge 39 also relieves the stitching 19 from any strain associated with the loading of the billfold. The hinge also, of course, permits the body member of the billfold to be folded as are conventional billfolds.

Although this application has been disclosed and illustrated with reference to particular application, the principles involved are susceptible of numerous other applications which will be apparent to persons skilled in the art. The invention is, therefore, to be limited only as indicated by the scope of the appended claims.

lclaim:

l. A billfold comprising;

a one-piece body member formed of a flattened open ended tubular element of woven synthetic material with opposite end segments of less than half the length of said tubular member being folded over against a face of the central segment of said tubular element with the one edge of each of the folded segments contiguous to the one edge of the central segment of the tubular element to dispose the open end thereof in facing relationship;

means permanently joining one edge of each of the folded segments to the contiguous one edge of the central segment; and

a pliant element substantially equal to the length of the central segment and of a width substantially equal to the width of the tubular element having the opposite ends thereof slidably disposed in the open ends of the folded segments.

2. The billfold defined in claim 1 in which the pliant element includes a sheet integrally joined centrally to said element by hinge means adjacent said joining means and said sheet is disposed between the central segment and the folded end segments to form two major compartments extending the length of said central segment.

3. The billfold defined in claim 1 which includes a sheet of pliant material mounted internally of said tubular element and of a length substantially equal to the length of said central segment to reinforce and stiffen the central segment.

4. The billfold defined in claim 1 wherein the means permanently joining the one edge of each of the folded segments to the contiguous edge of the central segment comprises at least one line of stitches.

5. The billfold defined in claim l'wherein the tubular member is formed of woven nylon with the opposite ends turned inwardly and permanently secured internally to the flattened tubular element to reinforce the open ends of the tubular element.

6. A method for making a billfold comprising the steps of:

forming a flat open ended tubular member of woven synthetic material of a preselected length;

folding opposite end segments of a length less than one half of said predetermined length over and against one face of the central segment of said tubular member to dispose the open ends of said tubular member in oppositely facing positions;

folded end segments with the strip intermediate the secured edges of said folded segments and placing the other of said sheet-like members between the folded end segments and the central segments of said tubular member.

7. The method of claim 6 including, prior to said folding step, the step of inserting a stiffening member into the central segment of said tubular member. 

1. A billfold comprising; a one-piece body member formed of a flattened open ended tubular element of woven synthetic material with opposite end segments of less than half the length of said tubular member being folded over against a face of the central segment of said tubUlar element with the one edge of each of the folded segments contiguous to the one edge of the central segment of the tubular element to dispose the open end thereof in facing relationship; means permanently joining one edge of each of the folded segments to the contiguous one edge of the central segment; and a pliant element substantially equal to the length of the central segment and of a width substantially equal to the width of the tubular element having the opposite ends thereof slidably disposed in the open ends of the folded segments.
 2. The billfold defined in claim 1 in which the pliant element includes a sheet integrally joined centrally to said element by hinge means adjacent said joining means and said sheet is disposed between the central segment and the folded end segments to form two major compartments extending the length of said central segment.
 3. The billfold defined in claim 1 which includes a sheet of pliant material mounted internally of said tubular element and of a length substantially equal to the length of said central segment to reinforce and stiffen the central segment.
 4. The billfold defined in claim 1 wherein the means permanently joining the one edge of each of the folded segments to the contiguous edge of the central segment comprises at least one line of stitches.
 5. The billfold defined in claim 1 wherein the tubular member is formed of woven nylon with the opposite ends turned inwardly and permanently secured internally to the flattened tubular element to reinforce the open ends of the tubular element.
 6. A method for making a billfold comprising the steps of: forming a flat open ended tubular member of woven synthetic material of a preselected length; folding opposite end segments of a length less than one half of said predetermined length over and against one face of the central segment of said tubular member to dispose the open ends of said tubular member in oppositely facing positions; securing the one edge of each folded end segment to the contiguous edge of the central segment of said tubular member; providing a pair of sheet-like members formed of a pliant material joined centrally of their length by an integral strip of a length less than the said members to form a hinge for movement of said members relative to each other; inserting opposite ends of one of said sheet-like members into the open ends of said oppositely folded end segments with the strip intermediate the secured edges of said folded segments and placing the other of said sheet-like members between the folded end segments and the central segments of said tubular member.
 7. The method of claim 6 including, prior to said folding step, the step of inserting a stiffening member into the central segment of said tubular member. 